Sick Of Unprofessional Groomers

[shmoo]

Not only does it grow back badly but removing the naturual insulation properties by ruining the double coated function means they get hotter in summer and colder in winter. And IMO they look fugly as hell when clipped.

All the BC's I clip, arent done for looks. And Im sure most are the same. The dogs are always happy to have their coat off, usually they are happy and bouncy at the end of their clip, and are done because they are in tick areas, and it also keeps fleas off because they are easier to spray. It prevents hot spots occurring, And especially when they are on working stations, they keep free from burrs and spikes from the grass.

I agree Silverblue.. We aint all bad. IMO The franchises are the bad guys..

hmmm have to agree with you on everything regarding the clipping of BC's....BUT cant agree with the franchises being the bad guys i bought into a franchise 6months ago and i havent had issues and all my customers keep coming back...i have heard rumours of other franchise that arnt that crash hot...im pretty sure i do good work....in what way do franchises suck???? not trying to have a go or anything just curious as why we are the bad guys?

i believe you can buy a franchise with no grooming experience. and these are the people that bring the franchises down and give a bad name for the rest of them.

[Nevafollo]

Not only does it grow back badly but removing the naturual insulation properties by ruining the double coated function means they get hotter in summer and colder in winter. And IMO they look fugly as hell when clipped.

All the BC's I clip, arent done for looks. And Im sure most are the same. The dogs are always happy to have their coat off, usually they are happy and bouncy at the end of their clip, and are done because they are in tick areas, and it also keeps fleas off because they are easier to spray. It prevents hot spots occurring, And especially when they are on working stations, they keep free from burrs and spikes from the grass.

I agree Silverblue.. We aint all bad. IMO The franchises are the bad guys..

hmmm have to agree with you on everything regarding the clipping of BC's....BUT cant agree with the franchises being the bad guys i bought into a franchise 6months ago and i havent had issues and all my customers keep coming back...i have heard rumours of other franchise that arnt that crash hot...im pretty sure i do good work....in what way do franchises suck???? not trying to have a go or anything just curious as why we are the bad guys?

i believe you can buy a franchise with no grooming experience. and these are the people that bring the franchises down and give a bad name for the rest of them.

fair enough you are right...the guys i bought with put everyone throu two weeks in the feild training and a few days in a salon...which is better than some but not probably not enough for someone with no idea...i did grooming through the tafe course i did so i was at an advantage!!!! plus i have had a decent amount of animal handling and training skills so i knew how to read dogs....which is something they dont teach you!!!!

[JulesP]

Border14 I know you said that your dog didn't have mats but really that is the only logical reason for a groomer to put a bare patch on a border. Unless there were mats my clippers didn't even come out for borders. With mats that aren't going to brush out I prefer to use the clippers than scissors.

[indi_dog]

Can't imagine what a clipped Border would look like... Indi is all fuzz underneath her coat, I would never dream of clipping her. If she does have a mat (usually behind the ears), they're usually small and I can just gradually separate the mat with fingers and then comb through it.

[Nadia]

we ask that same question all day at work. hell when im clipping off Lab's and short haired JRT's because they moult i ask myself why do they have a dog?

I'm sorry but I have to ask, WHY would you agree to clip these??

It simply makes no sense.

As to the border collies, I hate clipping them, I have yet to see a coat come back as good as it was before, usually they come back much thicker and softer, bigger job each time, though every year the ones that we see are in a state, obviously unbrushed, and it seems that the "we will just clip it off when it gets bad mentality" seems to kick in, maybe this is why the coats come back so bad.

The owners that do the at home grooming usually just bring them in for a bath and dry, etc.

[cavmad]

We had a bit of a sad day today. Sent the 2 cavs off to be groomed this morning having told the lady last week very specifically what I wanted. they came back this afternoon with feet completely shaved within an inch of their lives. My husband went berserk (privately!) and I wasn't happy either but I figure its partly my fault. I told her last week what I wanted and I guess they do so many that its hard to remember. I thought she might have written it down though or they might keep their details on a card or something? My friend said that if a groomer is aware of the breed standard they should stick to it but I was thinking that maybe if a lot of people get their cavs feet shaved then thats why she did it. I seem to remember her saying that she gets a lot of cavs in. I think where I went wrong was last time I just dropped my boy in and gave her very specific details. They offer a pickup and dropoff service which I thought I would try. It wasn't actually her that picked them up so I didnt really get the chance to say what I specifically wanted. So I guess its my fault. Its so hard to look at, its so awful!!! Just want it to grow back really quickly! I'll still go back to this groomer because she does a really great job,really pampers our dog and I'd never dump someone just for one mistake....will just be more specific next time.

[shmoo]

we ask that same question all day at work. hell when im clipping off Lab's and short haired JRT's because they moult i ask myself why do they have a dog?

I'm sorry but I have to ask, WHY would you agree to clip these??

It simply makes no sense.

its not my call, i work for a lady who owns her own salon.

but it isnt uncommon. we get alot of these shot haired dogs wanting clips on #10-#15.

[Vehs]

we get alot of these shot haired dogs wanting clips on #10-#15

see that is FAR to short IMO, I would be worried about sundamage, clipper burn and just general itchies, some owners are completely hopeless.

I have clipped a wirehaired JRT X, but that was a #7 and scissoring just to take the "scruffiness" off.

Cavmad - that is unfortunate, it wouldn't hurt to tell her next time you take them that the feet were shaved and it was not what you asked for and then go into what you would like this time.

In the cav breed standard I don't think the feet are tidied at all

[Ittybitty_]

I'm sorry but I have to ask, WHY would you agree to clip these??

It simply makes no sense.

its not about what we want, its what the clients want. We refuse, we lose business.

[Ari]

I'm sorry but I have to ask, WHY would you agree to clip these??

It simply makes no sense.

its not about what we want, its what the clients want. We refuse, we lose business.

If you need more business you can have some of mine! Like this dog I'm babysitting after closing time because the freaking owners are 2 hours late!!!!

[Vehs]

its not about what we want, its what the clients want. We refuse, we lose business.

First thing I ask when a double coated breed comes in for a clip is, "Have they been clipped before?" If not, then I educate the owner. Some have even said, "Well what is the correct age for clipping a Golden?" "They are not usually clipped"

Once the owners understand how clipping is going to stop the proper functioning of their dog's coat and make it harder for them as owners to care for them they will get a brushout, furminate etc.

And because of the discounts we offer to regular clients they book in for MONTHLY grooms, not OAY grooms.

I would probably do this if someone asked for a ridiculously short clip as well - its not going to stop the dogs shedding, it will make the shedding hair shorter, will that be more annoying for you? The dog will get sunburnt and with that comes an increase risk of suncancer and heatstroke etc.....

[shmoo]

people dont care about what the coat will look like down the track.

people dont care how to coat grows back.

if you had a golden come to you full of matts and hot spots from being neglected, your telling me you would brush it all out and treat the hot spots, only for it to go home and be matted again in a couple of weeks and the hot spots have spread?

[shmoo]

we get alot of these shot haired dogs wanting clips on #10-#15

see that is FAR to short IMO, I would be worried about sundamage, clipper burn and just general itchies, some owners are completely hopeless.

my boss did a pugxcav today on a #10 because the coat was so thick. there was no skin showing for sun burn, and we arent retards we can clip shot without giving clipper burn.

some coats are thick enough to clip off that short. hell i clipped sweep and ricko (in my sig) on a #10 on the weekend. no rashes, no sun damage (yes i take them to the park) and no itchies.

[Vehs]

Hi Shmoo - that is why I added the part, "some owners have no idea" I wasn't inferring you were a bad groomer or retarded . But I still think a #10 is too short for all over the body - if the dog doesn't require it! Of course I've had to do the usual horrible matted messes that come in over the years.

if you had a golden come to you full of matts and hot spots from being neglected, your telling me you would brush it all out and treat the hot spots, only for it to go home and be matted again in a couple of weeks and the hot spots have spread?

I don't have a problem with clipping a dog back for medical reasons, or even clipping a wide berth around the hot spots. I also don't mind clipping them back if they are very elderly and can no longer stand/put up with proper grooming, you've got to use a bit of common sense.

However, if it's just an ignorant owner (which it often is) that in the long term is going to leave their dog very uncomfortable then I'll talk to them about the proper way to care for the coat - sometimes it's a fruitless venture, but I'll still try.

[shmoo]

sorry Vehs. just having a bad day i guess.

lots of threads around DOL lately about bad groomers and im getting my back up.

and trying to talk to some owners its like all day.

[Poodle wrangler]

I found word of mouth the best way to find a groomer.

Plus, I know they're kind if my dog accepts (not necessarily LIKES) being left with the person. I've had a bad experience using someone new- dog had a badly cut paw- accidents happen, but I should have been told. My dog would have SCREAMED!

Poor cavmad- your cavs had poodle feet I'm clipper-mad at times (short cuts, not a groomer) and not even I would do that.

[dasha]

I clip my Border Collie with a #10 blade once or twice a year depending. His coat hasn't been damaged at all due to this clipping method. I have also clipped him all over in the past with the horse clippers (the large 3 inch wide blades) and his coat grows back fine.

When I worked in the vets we clipped 100's dogs off with the large horse clippers like GSD, BC and Golden Retrievers and they looked fantastic with the short cuts.

Some individual dogs coats didn't handle the clipping but on the whole, most dogs coats were healthy the following clip time and didn't have any adverse effects.

Clipping is an individual choice and what some people think is apalling, others think is fantastic.

[border14]

Hi all

The owner called me back today and she spoke to the lady who had Duke last. She said she was aware she had clipped him and said it was an accident. The owner asked her what was she doing with the clippers around him in the first place. She said she thought someone told her to clip him and when she started she was stopped by another lady who works there.

I asked to speak to her and asked her was there any reason for her to take out the clippers on him. She said no and apologised for the miscommunication.

By the way, she is new and just started.

I told the owner not to worry and she said to me in future she will take care of Duke herself.

I appreciated her honestly and the way she followed up on this for me.

[Vehs]

I appreciated her honestly and the way she followed up on this for me.

Clipping is an individual choice and what some people think is apalling, others think is fantastic.

Definately seems to be illustrated by the replies on this topic too!

[JulesP]

Sounds a bit dodgy border14! Unless the groomer thought she was supposed to shave the dog. You don't normally end up with bald spots even when you are clipping!!